


Misunderstandings

by watevermelon



Category: Code Geass
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Character Study, F/M, Jealousy, Not Actually Unrequited Love, One-Sided Relationship, Possibly Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 22:01:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29989461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watevermelon/pseuds/watevermelon
Summary: Spying the lingered looks between Suzaku and Euphemia, you decided to stand aside and let your best-friend have her happiness. Distance was the best medicine for your heart and it helped that you were often privy to Lelouch's schemes, the founding and only other member of the chess club.Little did you know what either were really thinking.That was until Milly declared Cupid Day, where running may no longer be an option.
Relationships: Euphemia li Britannia & Lelouch Lamperouge | Lelouch vi Britannia, Euphemia li Britannia/Lelouch Lamperouge | Lelouch vi Britannia, Kururugi Suzaku & Reader, Kururugi Suzaku/Reader, Lelouch Lamperouge | Lelouch vi Britannia/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Misunderstandings

Ashford Academy was both normal and strange - if such an oxymoron made sense.

It was a normal private academy by all accounts, even one held in high-regard by secular reports. The level of academic coursework was unparalleled with professors from around the globe - it was hardly matched by any other school in the nation. The students themselves were from long-standing families whose history predated even the school itself.

And yet…

It was also home to a rather _eventful_ student body this year.

You were glad to have secured a spot on the student council, headed by Milly and with many of your own personal friends from class. The president always made sure to spice things up - not just for holidays, but for even the mundane weeks as well. She often _lightly_ lectured the younger council members that these were the precious times of your lives - you were never going to get these back.

So why not make the most of it?

And there was no escaping Milly once she set her mind on something. Each member of the student council was subjected to such atrocities every year. The most audacious, one of which you are still unsure _how_ she even got you to agree with in the first place, was a _maid cafe_ of all things!

It was only about to get worse.

Cupid Day - which somehow got greenlit and approved by the administration - was basically about to turn the entire school grounds into a battlefield.

Anyone who was able to grab and wear the hat of someone else - they were to instantly become a couple!

You internally cringed at the idea - worried about all the drama that was about to spring up from an event like this. There was no forgetting the look of _pure_ exasperation on Lelouch’s face when he heard the proclamation. 

The young strategist oftened groaned at these ridiculous responsibilities, but still took part in the much smaller events. And yet somehow, the boy was _always_ able to weasel his way out of the brunt of the large-scaled holidays. At last year’s maid cafe, the boy was somehow _nowhere to be found._

But it seemed not this time, the event was poised to start right at the end of the last class on a Thursday afternoon. 

Meaning Milly, while being their kind-hearted leader, trapped Lelouch on three accounts. One being that he could not make an escape before the event since a group of them shared a class together. The second being that he could not make an even more grandiose escape to far away since they had class the next day. 

And three, you sat directly in front of him in class and would absolutely kill Lelouch if he side-stepped his responsibilities like last time.

Even now, you had a careful eye on Lelouch, making sure that he would not suddenly disappear if you took your eyes off of him. It was the Monday before Cupid Day and there was less and less time for the dark-haired boy to act. If he was going to make any moves now, you were sure to keep an eye on your friend.

At least now, Lelouch was properly subdued. You and the other student council members were preparing for the upcoming holiday - keeping a count of the hats, creating a system to distribute them out in an ordered fashion, and generally making sure the good majority of the hats were secured properly. 

Nina was typing away on her laptop, updating her inventory in conjunction to the amount of students in each classroom. You sat at the other side of the table, sewing some small defects from hats that came in damaged from the package.

“Come on, Lelouch!” Rivalz pushed, “There has to be someone's hat you want?”

Lelouch merely smirked as he kept neatly sewing hats - he was assigned the same responsibility as you, the both of you fixing up hats for your respective color.

“Want or not, Lelouch himself will probably be the most difficult hat to capture that day.” Euphemia noted.

“It’s true. You’ll have more worries fighting off his harem - Kallen, Kaguya, CC, even Shirley will probably -”

Bright orange hair entered your vision and you felt her soft hand against your lips. “It’s not like that! I’m just protecting my best friend, okay?”

You smiled and nodded, making eye contact with Euphemia without any words. You watched Nina grin as well, but rolling her eyes as she did so.

“And you, Euphemia?” Rivalz asked, turning to the pinkette as he continued counting the unopened boxes.

“I haven’t made up my mind yet.” She answered candidly.

“How about you, Nunnally? Is there anyone you want me to grab the hat of?” You turned to your younger classmate, who was listening in amusement.

“How sweet, but having you join my family would be the best prize.” She smiled genuinely, making you flash a pained smile in her direction.

Shirley frowned, looking between you and Lelouch who sported similar expressions, but said nothing out loud.

“You could always adopt me.” You offered, feigning a lighthearted joke that she easily saw through, but still chuckled at.

“And what about you, (Y/N)?” Euphemia cut-in, a gleam already in her eyes. “Anyone you have your eyes on?”

There was no point in lying to the occupants in the room, Euphemia knew your expressions well enough and Nunnally could tell when _anyone_ was lying, really. If you denied it, no one would even believe it and the conversation would only continue as more occupants pushed the subject. And if you were to tell the truth… there was absolutely no way in _hell_ were you going to admit with the real answer.

It was not exactly a secret between you and your best friend that your eyes had gradually centered themselves to a certain _hazelnut-haired_ jock in your friend group.

Suzaku was the reliable one - very caring of his friends, loyal to the ones in his inner-circle, charismatic to everyone in school, and not to mention, _very_ athletically built. But, the difference was that he was always like that. Even from when you were kids, Suzaku was just a kind-hearted person. And, between your sassy nature, it was hard to do so with Suzaku when he just seemed so sweet.

Nothing had really changed overtime - there was no sudden flash of lightning and boom you were in love with him.

It started with little things.

You and Lelouch were the only members of the chess club and, while you had always been friends with Suzaku in the past, being in close contact with his best-friend just meant you were seeing more of him too. He undoubtedly had a heavy workload, being a student athlete and a student council member, and yet he still made time for everyone else.

Suzaku would join in study groups, even if he did not personally need it, but instead to help those in subjects he excelled in. There were times you would see him and Nunnally taking walks around the gardens. 

A lot of the little things you took for granted were becoming more and more obvious. And while you knew him to be this kind-person, something still held you back from really being close to him.

It was hard for you to grasp that Lelouch and Suzaku really were best-friends, considering how one was so kind and the other brought the salt and sassiness to the absolute brim. It was easy to talk to Lelouch - he was just as cheeky as you when it came to sarcasm and underlying words. And while Suzaku would be the perfect person for any other girl in the school, you saw him as he was - good-natured, friendly, and maybe just a little too _vanilla_ for your tastes.

But you were still friends, good ones even, you would say. You hovered the same friend group, the same class, and hung-out together on multiple occasions. And while the times that the two of you were alone together were few and far between, you still felt comfortable enough around Suzaku to call him a close friend.

And one day your freshman year, it all just seemed to change.

Usually when you and Lelouch went to gamble on chess games, (honestly you two were not _exactly_ the best role models on the student council), you would have someone else tagging along as well. Rivalz was the unofficial manager at this point and tended join the two of you. 

The other members of the student council often turned a blind-eye to your antics - either not commenting on it at all and thus pretending it was not happening whatsoever or giving you both simple slaps on the wrist if the situations escalated out of hand. The only exception to this rule was Gino - who the two of you forbade from joining, since he was too rambunctious.

Milly had an ambiguous nature of neither condoning nor condemning. She asked for details and even gave you two snacks for the trip, but nothing more than amused smiles were said. Shirley often commented on it while Euphemia gave up long ago in trying to warn you both. Suzaku often brought it up in an amused tone, but there was no doubt the concern he had for his two friends for venturing into illegal territories.

And so besides Rivalz, there seemed to usually be another addition to your party outside of the student council members. After all, Lelouch had always been very… _popular_ , for a lack of a better word, while attending school.

There were times CC or Kallen would somehow tag along. You never relayed to them the time or place at which you were meeting. What you were doing was not exactly legal to begin with, but you digressed once they showed how adamant they were to join your group. Not that it was not fun to have them around, on the contrary Kallen had her own sassiness and CC was amusing in an absent sort of way, but once they started making their _side_ intentions known you felt like the third-wheel around Lelouch and whomever else.

But every once in a while, the two of you were venturing off alone to gamble, or rather _fundraise_ , for the chess club alone. 

You partook in these _extracurricular_ games, but you both silently acknowledged that Lelouch was the superior of the two of you in chess. And you honestly did not care about taking the backseat for these types of games. Lelouch was a natural strategist and had the snarky confidence to boot - it was honestly very fun to watch. 

Lelouch was not exactly a humble winner either, often bragging about how quickly or how many short turns it would take before overpowering the opponent. Some would declare a rivalry and demand a rematch while a few others took it to extreme measures.

Thankfully, Kallen was one of the leaders of the Karate team and CC had a strange amount of coordination and fighting prowess. During those times, they often took charge in either your escape or dealing with the situation around you entirely.

But neither of them were here this time.

You watched the wealthy, bespeckled man huff, sitting defeated at the other side of the table of Lelouch. Like many of the other opponents of your past, he was adorned in a fine suit fit for nobility. “I’ve heard plenty about you, high-school student.”

“And yet, you were still unprepared.” Lelouch goaded him, leaning back in his chair as he smirked.

You fought the urge to snap some seriousness into him. He was taking the situation rather lightly, considering two other _big_ dudes were now in the room, looking none too friendly.

“In this simple game of chess, maybe.” The wealthy man motioned toward the game board and then looked to the other two guys.

You took a step back and tried to quietly reach for your phone in your back pocket. Before you could make it far, a strong hand held your elbow in place.

“Only a small game for the king right here.” The strange man stated, looking at Lelouch. Your classmate hadn’t even looked at you, eyes trained only at the man across. “Why fight in small hustles when you can join an army? Play on my behalf and I’m sure to fill both our pockets.”

You struggled against the large man holding you in place, muttering a _let me go!_

Lelouch gave a dry chuckle, “And you’ve given up in trying to win against me?”

“I’m ready to play a different game altogether.” The wealthy man responded.

“Oh? How interesting.” Lelouch pondered before bargaining, “Let her go and we may have a deal.” 

You watched the man wave his hand haphazardly, not a care over your person and not even glancing in your direction. The bodyguard hurried you along, not the way you came in, but through the hallways in a direction you did not recognize. 

You recalled your earlier venture into the mansion. The sun was shining on the front of the house on your way in, which meant only one thing. From the way the sun was entering the windows now, this bodyguard was leading you further to the back of the house.

“Hey, what gives? This isn’t the way out.” You asked.

“Call it a contingency plan in case your lover-boy doesn’t hold up.” He gruffly answered.

You groaned aloud and struggled further against him, but his hold was far more over-powered than your own. He grabbed you by the waist, your feet dangling a foot above the floor. There was no way to fix your stance or move and push against something. You cursed your small stature and lack of physical ability, this is why you preferred chess as your battlefield - you could command pieces to win and it required nothing but brain power.

Just as you were about to start screaming bloody murder, you felt his grip on you loosen entirely and struggled to get your balance on the ground.

You felt a more familiar hold, gentle and paired with a kind-smile.

“Suzaku?”

“Hey, finally done hanging out?” He replied with a pun.

You could not help the amused sigh you let out, before looking back down to the unconscious bodyguard and back to the brunet that you mentally tagged as _vanilla._

Suzaku had a hand under your elbow while the other was at your shoulder. The sudden fall had you leaning against him for a split-second as you regained your balance. But now the two of you were simply standing there in each other's arms.

“Since when can you fight?”

“Since you and Lelouch decided on a hobby that constantly shortens my lifespan.”

“That’s honestly… really impressive.” You candidly answered, “Sorry about this, it usually doesn’t get this out of hand.”

He pat you on the head before grabbing your hand in his own, “We should go meet up with Kallen and Lelouch.”

You nodded and followed along with hurried steps, “Why does this feel like a sting operation?”

He smiled but kept his vision forwards, keeping an eye out for anyone else that would block their path. It was surprisingly quiet as you made your way through the home, twisting around corners until you were finally outside.

You ran two more blocks before stopping at a busy street corner, the other two members of your party already there. Kallen leaned against a street lamp while Lelouch was bent over, sucking in air with his hands against his knees.

Unathletic as you were, you still marched up to the man and poked him in the shoulder. 

“Lelouch, I have half the mind to sick Milly on you for abandoning me!”

He pushed your hand aside and huffed, “Come on, don’t be that way. I just didn’t want you in the room if the situation escalated. They were already on their way to help us.”

You frowned, _of course_ Lelouch was confident in his plan enough to risk your lives. But you knew better than to argue this any further, his plan _did_ work and it was done and done. You were all safely outside and on your way back to school grounds, there was no reason to worry anymore anyway, all immediate danger was gone.

And yet, for some _small_ reason, you still kept holding onto Suzaku’s hand. It seemed that he did not mind as well, since the brunet made no movement to let go of you either. And so the four of you made your way back to campus that way.

“You two really are idiots.” Kallen started chastising the two-person chess team, “What were you going to do if we couldn’t make it in time?”

Lelouch scoffed, “Nonsense, I can rely on the both of you.”

You spotted the telltale blush on the young woman’s face, but it was hard to focus on the conversation while your hand was currently occupied. To make matters even worse, Suzaku squeezed your hand twice as he laughed at something Lelouch had said - meaning the brunet was (1) well that you two were still holding hands and (2) also wanted to keep doing so.

Your mind was focused on these two facts the entire way back to the dorms - head completely in the clouds until you were standing right in front of your building. It was only when Suzaku waved his free hand in front of your face, smiling as he did so, that you snapped back to attention.

“Try not to get into too much trouble, okay?” He teased while letting go of your hand.

“No promises.” You replied, feeling a small tendril of sadness at the loss of contact.

“I didn’t expect a different answer anyway.” Suzaku sighed, “But know you can rely on me.”

“Of course.” 

“Don’t be so rattled tonight, I’ll protect you.” He teased again with a wink, before catching you in a half-hug and walking away.

You smiled the entire way back up to your dorm room, not noticing the curious gaze of your roommate as she spotted your random behavior.

Going through the motions of your nightly routine, you entered the shared bathroom and started washing your face. 

“Hello to you too. Don’t ignore me when you have such a suspicious smile.” Euphemia greeted, standing in the door frame with a similar expression.

“I just had a really good night.” You commented.

“On a day where you and Lelouch were out?” Euphy voiced aloud, “Or could it be that the chess team is officially a chess couple?”

You blanched and made a mock choking noise, “As if!”

She watched you with a reflective gaze before turning and heading back into the living room. From that day forward, she was increasingly proactive in finding out who it was that left you so absent-minded that night. Your best friend kept an eye out for all the men in your life - from your light conversations with Gino, interactions with Rivalz, practices with Lelouch - she knew you well to begin with.

And when she saw your unusually bright smile around Suzaku, Euphy knew immediately just who it was that had your attention.

And the pinkette almost made it her year resolution to get the two of you together.

You snapped back to the present, aware of the student council’s eyes on you as the question lingered in the air. They had asked you long ago whose hat you wanted for Cupid Day. It would be incredibly stupid to say that there was no one now. But thankfully, the object of your affections was not in the room currently and instead at basketball practice.

“Why would I broadcast my own target?” You answered the question with another question, causing Shirley to groan and Lelouch to raise a brow at your evading reply.

Euphy did not push the subject, simply smirking at your answer as she kept sewing a patch on one of the pink hats on her lap.

However from that simple look on her face, one that you recognized easily on your mutual close friend as well, was that of quiet determination. Whatever it was that was made up in her mind, there was no stopping until she achieved that goal. And while it was subtle on Lelouch’s face, on Euphemia it almost triggered your flight or fight response.

You only hoped your dorm roommate would show you mercy later when she undoubtedly questioned you.

As your best-friend and long time roommate, there were just things that she _just knew_ about you and vice versa. You had been roommates since when you first entered Ashford Academy as a junior high student. She knew that you liked to eat salmon on Wednesday’s, on Friday afternoons you would outside if possible and do your homework - it was all just ingrained into one another’s schedules.

And there was no hiding the shift in feelings toward your brown-haired friend.

You were counting down the minutes until she would question you, but thankfully had evaded a direct confrontation so far. Euphy was so kindhearted and it would be impossible to lie to her. The only way to evade her was to not answer entirely or continue running away.

Thankfully on your way to class the next day, she did not bring up that question again. You sighed in relief once you reached the classroom, sitting towards the back next to Kallen. And while the redhead had obviously _saved_ your ass on multiple occasions, the two of you were barely friends. You knew very little about each other personally, but she tended to hang around Lelouch and that time often mixed with yours as well.

You arrived early enough to homeroom before the teacher and headed towards your seat, waving at the two boys who sat behind you with a morning greeting.

“Good morning to you too, (Y/N).” Suzaku replied back, an eager expression on his face. Lelouch silently waved, before returning back to their original conversation.

You turned to your deskmate Kallen, who was leaning her head against the palm of her hand, already looking exasperated. 

“Come on, Kallen. This week won’t be _that_ bad.” You quipped, earning a sigh from the redhead.

“It’s almost as bad as last year.”

“Don’t tell me you don’t have anything to gain from Cupid Day.” You goaded in a feigned neutral expression - it was just too easy to rile the young woman up.

“What are you trying to say?” She asked, turning to you with narrowed eyes.

“Just wondering if there’s anybody you’re trying to get the hat of?” You kept your tone of voice in an innocently curious manner. 

“I would rather die than participate.” Kallen replied as she rolled her eyes.

“Oh?” You asked back with a calm air, “So you wouldn’t care at all if _I_ was the one who got Lelouch’s hat?”

She scoffed and raised in volume, “Oh?! And you think you could beat me? Just watch me get Lelouch’s hat before your grubby hands are anywhere near it.”

This grabbed the attention of the classroom quickly, your fellow classmates hushing in their conversations as they tuned into yours. Kallen threw her hands up in exasperation, annoyed that she fell into your trap. You shrugged when you saw Euphy’s questioning eyes toward the front of the classroom, to which she laughed and turned back to her seatmate Nina.

Meanwhile you turned around to the two boys behind you, Lelouch with an almost smirking expression while Suzaku sported a curious one.

“You two are always so eager to play games.”

“I just wanted to know.” You shrugged, “I figured Lelouch was a hot commodity, but never this much.”

“Some people like the tall and mysterious look.” Suzaku reasoned.

“Yeah, but pair that with the inability to finish the 400 meter.”

“Hey, you can’t do it either.” Lelouch pouted in response.

You laughed at his expression and responded casually, “I didn’t say I could.”

“So you don’t want Lelouch’s hat?” Suzaku asked, attempting to sound offhand, but his serious eyes gave away his intentions. It seemed Kallen seemed to tune into your conversation as well, curious to hear your answer after all.

You wanted to avoid being cornered like this, especially by the very person whose hat you wanted. So instead you responded, “Why? Scouting out the rest of the competition?”

“Ugh, gross. I’d rather take anyone else, Arthur included.” Suzaku answered, moving Lelouch to laugh.

“Come on, Suzaku. Who is it you’re trying to get the hat of?” You re-directed, turning to the boy fully as you asked.

A rosy tint adorned the brunet’s cheeks, surprised at your unbridled attention on him. Lelouch fought the urge to snicker at his best friend’s sudden bashfulness, but it was quite obvious to the Vice President that you were the very one he was aiming for.

Suzaku looked at you then, unsure if he should say it outright or if it would ruin the budding relationship you two had. It was only during high school that the two of you were getting especially close and that was something he did not want to ruin. He loved spending time with you and, if you were not interested in the same way, he would hate to lose you as a friend.

He thought of you as strong-willed and gloriously independent. You took none of anyone else's bull and were very quick to uncover truths. But you were also loyal to your friends and would do anything for those that you loved.

And, unbeknownst to you, Suzaku was doing mental leaps on how to answer that question with potentially making the future worse.

But his best friend beat him to the punch.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Lelouch cut in with a smirk, “He’ll be trying all day for you - “

“Euphemia! After all, she’ll probably be as targeted as Lelouch that day! ” Suzaku loudly interrupted, nervously chuckling as you raised a brow in surprise. Kallen listened in in amusement while Lelouch sighed and turned his attention back to his book. 

There was no way he was going to allow Lelouch to just say it outright - it would come off as cheap and even unauthentic. The day that you would be aware of Suzaku’s affections would come from him and _him alone,_ he resolved. Otherwise, how else would you know the true depth of how he felt?

And while Suzaku did this to avoid the potential fallout of Lelouch telling the truth, you felt something almost _crack_ inside of you. Thankfully, the homeroom teacher called attention to the front of the classroom and you commenced with the start of the school day, distracting anyone from your worried expression.

You tried to mentally assure yourself that you were not disappointed at his answer. After all, Suzaku and Euphy definitely shared more things in common than you and he did. Their friendship went even further back then yours with Euphy. And they were both just so kindhearted and birds of a feather definitely flocked together. 

Why would he be interested in someone so quick to quip all the time?

And so, even with all these mental reasons not be discouraged over some _small_ crush, it was hard to focus on the lecture the entire time.

_Of course he would be interested in Euphy._

And Suzaku would be perfect for her too. He had proved himself on multiple occasions and it would be selfish of you to force your affections away from your best-friend. She deserved this happiness, even if it was originally something you wanted.

But were you willing to make the sacrifice?

You sighed and leaned your head against the palms of your hands. Class went on, even taking a quiz at some point, but it was hard for you to focus on the failed affections you had on the brunet sitting right behind you.

It was only when you heard your name called twice that you realized there was a face right in front of yours.  
  
“Hello, (Y/N).” Lelouch stated as he looked into your eyes.

But just the mere surprise of seeing him that close to _your_ own face, so much so that you could feel the heat from his skin, you stood up immediately and accidentally knocked your heads together.

The two of you staggered backwards, holding your respective foreheads in your hands as Lelouch groaned, “You have got to be kidding me.”

Kallen let out a barking laughter, commenting that the contact made a coconut-hitting-coconut sound. Shirley gasped in surprise while Euphy laughed as well. Suzaku moved to hold you at the waist, moving your hands aside as he inspected your now red forehead.

You blushed at seeing him inspecting you so close and took a step back. Instead, you apologized to Lelouch and the rest for making a scene.

You rubbed at the back of your head sheepishly before Lelouch grabbed your wrist, dragging you out of the classroom as he muttered impatiently under his breath. “Come on, we’re late to chess practice.”

Just as you turned the corner you wrenched your hand out of his, seemingly simultaneous to when he dropped it out of his grasp. His touch was nothing like Suzaku’s - gentle or kind - it felt neutral, like that of just a friend. 

And that made all the difference - coming to a silent epiphany as the two of you made your way to the club room. 

You prided yourself on the ability to read other people and would strategize based on that knowledge. Not as an enemy would, but that was simply how you interacted and viewed other people.

And now you had to come to terms with the inevitable truth - that there was no one like Suzaku in your life right now.

You knew you had feelings for the guy, after all he was attractive and your friend to begin with. It was a small crush, based off of small superficial things - his appearance and general kindness. But now you had the absolute truth, that you could no longer deny, that you were probably deep in the feels regarding Suzaku.

You were falling in love with him.

It felt like a splash of water that quickly turned to glass.


End file.
